Lot
4107 
Australian States: Victoria, 1858 (Aug. 16) Melbourne, Victoria to San Francisco Cal. via London, cover bearing Victoria 3d blue, 6d yellow orange and 1s blue, each tied by numeral "1" barred circle, matching Melbourne (8.16) backstamp, carried by E&ARM Columbian to Galle arriving Sep. 14th, and Suez Oct. 3rd, across Isthmus by camel caravan to Cairo, then railroad to Alexandria Oct. 5th, Cambria to Southampton, red London Paid (10.18) transit cds and red manuscript "1/2½" credit to U.S., carried by Cunard America from Liverpool Oct. 23rd to Boston arriving Nov. 5th, then New York ship via Panama, San Francisco "Paid" straightline, Very Fine; with 2008 R.P.S.L. certificate. Estimate $2,000 - 3,000.
A CHOICE THREE-VALUE USE AT THE RARE 20½D AUSTRALIAN STATES RATE VIA SOUTHAMPTON TO CALIFORNIA.
Rate tables in NSW, Victoria and Queensland show a 20½ pence via Southampton rate to California from 1857 - necessarily overpaid since no half-penny stamps were available. This rate was evidently calculated by adding the 6d Empire Rate to England to the 1/2½d paid-to-destination rate from England to the USA west-coast.
The 1/8½d rate was miscalculated - 1½d British internal postage being included in both the 6d Empire Rate to England and the 1/2½d rate from England to the west-coast. The rate was correctly lowered to 1/7d in 1863. No examples have been seen but 1/1 credits on two following pages show England observed the correction.
Realized: $6,250